Larsen Family Reunion

The Larsen Family Reunion was July 31st - August 3rd at the Warm Springs Retreat in Utah!

We arrived early afternoon and got to setting up our cabin. It was very tiny and very tall. I was a little nervous about Cora sleeping up in the loft - all the girls, really. Don't fall! (And thankfully, no one did.)

Seth got to be on the ground floor with me. 

It was rainy and cool that afternoon, which dampened the opening getting to know you activity Kelly and I were in charge of running. Also, no one was there yet, which also made it difficult to carry out. 

So we explored a bit first!

Then we got around to the super cute activity Kelly had put together. Each child got a stamp and a paper - words for the older kids and pictures for the younger. They were supposed to mingle, find someone who met the criteria listed, then stamp it off. Since there weren't many kids around yet, it mostly became, "Oh, I know someone who has brown hair!" and they'd stamp it off. 

Cora had a blast with this game. She made up her own questions and went around asking people, "Have you seen Tangled?" Stamp! "Have you seen Emperor's Grove?" Stamp. Her page (and hands) filled up the fastest. 

When you completed your sheet, you got to pick an air head candy! Colorful tongues all around! 

Almost all around. 

Time for more exploring! 

Cora found some puddles down by the bridge that ran over the good-sized river and was obsessed. At one point during the reunion, I couldn't find her and during my frantic search, found her here, at the puddles. She could have fallen in the river! 

Cora and my cousin's blonde son looked like twins :) 

Playing some soccer in the field in front of our cabin. 

While Uncle Evan babysat Seth - anyone with food is his best friend!

Time for bed on our first night! 

Each day, I'd drive out to the road so I could check my messages and see how Andrew and Abigail were doing. No reception down at the cabins. Cora helped me :). 

Looking for roly polies! 

And, they found some! And some big rocks. 

My cousin Bryce set up this neat tight rope activity and the girls loved it! And were pretty good! 

While the boys made spinning tops, the girls got to make pioneer dolls and decorate them - super cute! 

Seth thought his top was very yummy. 

But not as yummy as lunch! 

Eve and Halle were very excited when my cousin Gary showed up! They remember him fondly from Uncle Eric and Uncle Evan's weddings. 

At least it was sunny finally! My cousin's daughter kept trying to feed Seth chips. It was pretty cute. 

Lots of babies to hold! 

Cora didn't want to pose by the river, just play in the puddles. 

This was the end of the tubing section of the river - grab the line and pull yourself out! Or just something to hold on to while you wade. 

Cora sat here and talked Uncle Alan's ear off for probably 20 mins. It was really cute. 

Thank goodness Aunt Kelly brought this pack n' play to keep Seth and Blade semi-contained. 

Cora and Maddie quickly bonded over rocks.... 

...while Eve tried her hand at this wooden block throwing game. I never did really understand the rules. 

Seth got his very own roasting stick! Thank you Grandpa Larsen! 

Some of the more adventurous cousins kept finding snakes and carrying them around for all to see. Yikes. 

On Friday, August 2nd, the last full day of the reunion, there was Family Olympics! Eve and Halle participated and had a blast! I rotated between watching them and keeping an eye on Cora and Seth. 

Nothing completes Olympics like slushies! 

Especially when you get to choose your own flavor!

Cora and Maddie :)

Cora delighted me by pulling ALL the wipes out of the package. Good thing we weren't on vacation and I only brought a limited amount! Oh, wait....Don't worry, I stuffed them all back in and we used them. 

Friday was a busy day! That afternoon we had a pinata! Actually, two - one for the little kids and one for the big! 

Cora and Maddie! They had a love/hate relationship....

After the pinata, it was water time, thanks to Uncle Lance and Aunt Kelly. I wasn't willing to take anyone tubing, but they braved it! 

Uncle Evan was a rock star and helped too! 

The kids LOVED it and went multiple times. 

And when they were done tubing, they just splashed a round a bit in the river. I was so glad they could actually use the water this year. Two years ago, the river was so full and fast it wasn't safe to even go near. We had to keep the kids away the whole time. 

Then, finally, we made it over to the lake for some kayaks and paddle boats!

Halle loved kayaking with Uncle Evan!

And Eve jumped on a paddle boat with some of her second cousins and didn't want to get off!

I don't remember where Abigail was, but apparently she didn't want to come on a boat. Or be pictured. 

(Ok, that is embarrassing. Kelly had to point out to me after reading this post why Abigail wasn't pictured. Hello! She was home with Andrew! Oops....)

Then we all got a ride back to the cabins in the Brunson's car! Some even got to ride in the trunk :) 

Seth didn't get to go boating - but he did get to be stuck in the play pen with some books :). 

At least now he had some company! "Let us out! We want to play in the dirt like men!"

Reading/chilling until dinner. 

Cora wanted her picture with this house in the main house while we were preparing dinner - our family was in charge and we did a pasta bar with strawberry shortcake for dessert! It was a hit!

Dance party that night - I'm getting tired just writing this post - how did we cram so much into one day??

Family matching/trivia game! This may have been on Thursday? 

We'd made it the entire reunion without a campfire (thank you rain), so despite being exhausted, we (I mean Grandpa Larsen/Uncles Lance and Evan) built a fire. 

And in Amarillo - Abigail had been going to work with Andrew most days, with a few days of him working from home, and a couple days being babysat by friends. Someone at his office brought her this chair so she'd have somewhere to sit!